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We
here at Haunted Hamilton have only heard a few tales of the ghosts
at Whitehern. One of our friends had a family member who used
to work there, and they said that they experienced strange things
while there. The voice of a woman singing as well as music playing
can be heard late at night. Please note that these accounts may
not be accurate. Below, however, is the history of Whitehern.
We will post more about the "hauntings" one we learn
more about them.
The
information below was kindly taken from the
Cultural Landmarks of Hamilton-Wentworth website at http://collections.ic.gc.ca/hamilton/index.htm
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Whitehern
is the former estate of the McQuestens, who were one of the most
historically prominent families in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Richard O. Duggan, a local lawyer purchased the property for Whitehern
in 1843 for ten thousand dollars. However, the name of the property
under Duggan was Willow Bank. The house was built during the following
year in 1848. He used local quarried sandstone and dolomite from
the Hamilton mountain for the exterior construction of the house
and stable. The main house was essentially square in design with
a classical portico at the facade on the north side and a covered
wooden verandah which extended over the entire southern side of
the house. The gardens were spacious and open and included walkways.
The south half of the property possessed a large garden bed and
orchard. Moreover, there were two out buildings on the south-east
side of the property (corner of MacNab and Hunter streets) and
a third out building on the west boundary of the property.
 In
1882, the estate was purchased by Dr. Calvin McQuesten. Calvin
McQuesten was a New England doctor, who had retired from his medical
practice and pharmaceutical business in New York State, to become
a Hamilton industrialist with his cousin, John Fisher . Mr. Fisher
owned Hamilton's first foundry, which later became Massey-Ferguson.
The foundry produced threshing machines and cooking ranges and
was a highly profitable business.
Dr.
McQuesten, his wife Elizabeth Fuller McQuesten and his son Isaac
Baldwin McQuesten moved into the house shortly after it was purchased.
The house was decorated with oil paintings and fine furnishings
that had be purchased from Boston, where Mrs. McQuesten was originally
from. She also changed the landscaping by emphasizing the ornamental
aspects of the gardens which included the addition of the heart
shaped flower bed.
Upon
Mr. McQuesten arrival in Hamilton, he became active in the community,
serving as a director and vice-president of the Gore Bank in 1862
and 1867. He also aided in the establishment of St. Andrew's and
MacNab Street Presbyterian Churches and the Wesleyan Female College,
which is now the site of the Royal Connaught Hotel.
In
1928 a portion of the rear garden was expropriated by the city
to facilitate the elevation of the Toronto, Hamilton, and Buffalo
Railway tracks and the Hunter Street relocation which was eventually
built in 1931. The family received a cash settlement for the expropriation
which was used to redesign the landscape of the estate. Dunnington-Grubb
and Stensson landscape architects were hired to plan and implement
the changes. Dunnington-Grubb was a well known landscape architect
whose designs included the Rainbow Bridge gardens and the former
Sunken Gardens at McMaster University. The changes to the property
included the introduction of a sunken garden, a thatched roof
summer house which replaced the old orchards and garden beds,
a stone wall was constructed along the new southern property boundary,
an underground irrigation system was installed, and the carriage
house was removed to make allowances for the new automobile that
had been purchased in 1928. The house was also updated by the
installation of one of the earliest residential furnaces in Hamilton.
Calvin
McQuesten's son, Isaac graduated from law school in 1873 and married
Mary Jane Baker later that year. The couple moved into a home
on Bold Street in Hamilton, Ontario. The couple had six children
Mary Baldwin McQuesten (1874-1964), Calvin McQuesten (1876-1968),
Hilda Belle McQuesten (1877-1967), Ruby Baker McQuesten (1879-1911),
Thomas Baker McQuesten (1882-1948) and Marguerette Edna McQuesten
(1885-1935). After Dr. Calvin McQuesten's death in 1885, the family
moved into the Whitehern estate.
Isaac
McQuesten was not a savvy business investor or industrialist,
and due in part to a partnership in a knitting mill in Hespeler,
Ontario in 1881, he was on the verge of bankruptcy. Isaac McQuesten
died on March 7, 1888 reportedly by ingesting an overdose of sleep
inducing drugs and left a substantial debt for the family to endure
with liabilities totaling ninety two thousand dollars and assets
of only ten thousand dollars. Whitehern, the family estate had
been signed over in trust for Mary to a junior law partner, John
Jones. This action saved the home from being sold in order to
pay off the enormous debts that had accumulated.
Isaac's
son Thomas Baker McQuesten (1882-1948) was a prominent Canadian
and a dedicated public servant with a passion for infrastructure
and recreational parks. He made significant contributions to the
City of Hamilton, the Niagara Peninsula, and to the Province of
Ontario during a political and civic career marked by integrity,
diligence and vision. However, he also made significant changes
to the Whitehern estate. Thomas McQuesten remodeled the cellar
into a study and in 1934 removed the verandah on the south side
of the house. In 1937, an addition was added to the house on the
south side. Moreover, he hired Dunnington-Grubb and Stensson to
remodel the landscape in 1939. The landscape architects added
a flagstone walkway, rectangular flower beds lined with box tree
hedges, and a flagstone driveway.
In
1959, the surviving members of the McQuesten family (Calvin, Hilda,
and Mary) deeded their home to the Parks Board. The terms of the
donation stated that the residence was to be kept as a “period
place” and maintained as a memorial to Dr. Calvin and the
Honorable Thomas Baker McQuesten. Upon giving his family's property
to the city, Dr. Calvin McQuesten expressed his delight that all
members of the public would now be able to “...enjoy, whenever
they please, the beautiful rooms of Whitehern and eat their lunches
in its pleasant garden.”
Once
the estate had been donated to the city, discussion began about
the need for renovations. Estimates for the repairs ranged from
thirteen thousand dollars in 1968 to seventy one thousand dollars
in 1971. During the period between 1968 and 1971, Whitehern was
restored by the City and the total cost for the project was approximately
sixty thousand dollars. Nevertheless, the house and the approximately
0.8 acres of land were preserved as a museum and on August 14,
1971, it was opened to the public. Since then, the estate has
been operated by the City's Department of Culture and Recreation.
Over
the years, the gardens of Whitehern have evolved from primarily
utilitarian uses such as fruit and vegetable gardens to ornamental
and recreational purposes. The Whitehern grounds feature authentic
structures, decorative artifacts, and original plant material,
which are preserved, researched, maintained, and interpreted according
to the terms of the McQuesten agreement.
In
1991, Whitehern house including the gardens was recognized for
its historical and architectural significance by the Natural Historical
Sites and Monuments Board. On October 2, 1993, a plaque was unveiled
in the presence of many high ranking officials including Hamilton
Mayor Robert Morrow, Reg Whynott, Regional Chairman of Hamilton-Wentworth,
Monique Landry, Secretary of State of Canada and John White, member
of the Historical Sites and Monuments Board of Canada. The plaque
was to recognize Whitehern as a significant historical building
and was sponsored by the Head-of-the-Lake Historical Society.
Since the preservation of the estate was immaculate, it has also
caught the attention of movie production companies. Many films
for the Disney Channel and CBC have been filmed inside the home
including Anne of Green Gables.
The
estate has also undergone more recent renovations in the late
1980's and early 1990's which included a new underground irrigation
system and the reconstruction of the stone wall around the property.
Whitehern is an excellent example of Victorian life in Canada
and has been described as a jewel of Hamilton. Therefore, Whitehern's
preservation is essential since it is a part of the heritage of
Hamilton which can be enjoyed by the citizens of Canada and beyond.
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